Sseko Designs

    I recently found this really cool site, Sseko Designs. Here is their story...

If you happen to find yourself in Kampala, Uganda, make your way to the Old Taxi Park. From there, grab a taxi van to Matuga. Jump off at the end of the line, and hop on a boda boda to the Cornerstone Leadership Academy. After a (bumpy) ride along a dirt road, you will find yourself in the company of some of the most intelligent and committed young women in Uganda.

These women are graduates of the Cornerstone Leadership Academy and employees of Sseko Designs.

Sseko \say-ko\ Designs was created to help these bright young women continue their education. The Ugandan school system is designed with a nine month gap between secondary school and university. These nine months are intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition before continuing on to university. However, in an impoverished and male dominated society, many of these young women struggle to find fair work during this time.

Sseko Designs hires recent secondary school graduates for this nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war.

The goal of Sseko Designs is two-fold: provide university tuition for these promising young women through a sustainable monthly income, while also contributing to the overall economic development of Uganda.

Every sandal has a story. This story has only just begun, but with your help, it will be a story of hope, success and change.

I think they are pretty neat! You can change out the straps and lace them all kinds of ways to make a different pair of shoes every time you wear them! Hope you love! Have a blessed day!

Stadium Upside down cake!

    I am not a cook.. I dont claim to be one. I do try to put a "cooked" meal on the table a few times a week just so my poor husband and daughter don't have to eat out every night. Mike and I do well together in the kitchen, after we decide what exactly we are eating, that is always a "discusion" cause no one wants to make the final call. He is a good cook and we usually do well together.

  I really want to be a baker!

  I get in the mindset to make something and then you better stand back, cause food is gonna fly. So for Christmas Mike's mom got him this fantastic cake baking dish thingy (they call it a bunt pan I think). Naturaly, with the superbowl approaching I wanted o make a cake in it...

                         

  Well I called my mother-in-law to ask some simple advice about baking a cake. She informed me I could just spray the pan with pam because it was nonstick and shouldnt need all the flour and stuff (yes Terry I am blaming this mess on you! ;) ) So I simply sprayed it with Pam and mixed my batter...

  I made an icing with powdered sugar, orange juice and a little bit of milk while the cake was cooking. It was really good, I was pretty proud of myself! But I was ready for some great cake ..

 Once it cooled I yelled at Mike to come help me flip it out of the mold.. I will save you the gory details, but this is how my fantastic stadium cake came out...

   Yummy! So needless to say, it didnt come out of the mold. But it did taste really good.. which is the important part! It was a beautiful mess of cake! Have a blessed day!

Photo fun!

I haven't written on here in a while.. I guess I don't need to explain my self, but I'm sorry if you do follow my blog and want to hear about my life.

So I got a new camera for Christmas and I love it, but I am still trying to figure out how exactly it works. I started just playing with it around my house. The animals seemed to enjoy themselves.. I introduce you to my precious puppy Daisy Mae Johnson and Raegan's kitten Oliver (yes she is a girl) Johnson!

The next 2 were my favorites, but they were a little dark.

Haha, caught her lounging.. she is so funny..

Ready to pounce on Daisy... it is a little blurry..

Raegan posed for me too.. She is so pretty..

Then I got really creative with objects around my house...

I collect vases, so this part was really fun.. I just picked some favorites and arranged them.. I am having a blurriness problem tho and I'm just not sure how to fix it..

So there you have it.. fun with my camera.. I think I came out with some beautiful shots! Have a beautiful and Blessed Day!!

Mobile blogging!

    So I just figured out how to blog from my phone.. and considering I have my phone on my way more than a computer I think this is pretty beautiful. Only problem I tried to post this blog from my phone and it will only let you do short, 1 liner posts.. sort of like Facebook. I think the idea is pretty cool, but I may need to play with it a little.

   I am interested to hear what you all think of mobile blogging (especially Julia, Im sure you have thoughts!). Now if I have a random thought I can just blog it right? Hope you love the idea! Be blessed and remember there is no excuse for not blogging now!

Let's see if this works..

Christmas Time

    It's that time of year.. CHRISTMAS TIME!! Whoo hoo! I love it.. I love the decorations, the smells, the food, the shopping, the traditions, the cookie decorating, wrapping presents, driving to 5 different houses in 2 days... and my favorite part, celebrating Jesus' birthday and teaching Raegan about the story of Christmas.

    We recent spent a fun-filled weekend with the Babb's in Knoxville. We helped Sarah decorate her tree and put out all of her decorations (by-the-by I am up to 4 trees that I have decorated this year!). We stumbled upon a Christmas book given to her by a student, A Special Place For Santa.. Oh this was a fantastic book! I even cried a little reading it with them. It shows children the meaning of Christmas and Santa's place in the Holiday. Check it out if you have the chance!

    So back to the decor of the season.. I started early, the second weekend in November I put up my tree...

And a little bit of the mess I made in the process..

Look at my baby snoozing on the couch

Mike and Raegan were no help during the tree decorating.. but they did sit in the floor and watch a movie while I decorated, so I did have company.. and who can argue when Home Alone 2 is playing in the background!

    I continued to decorate throughout the next week.. Mike said I had way too much stuff to put out, but I love when every inch is covered in Christmas stuff...

Then we all rested and had hot chocolate!!

Here are a few pics of our trip to Knoxville.. we enjoyed staying in a hotel (long story hehe), watching UT beat Kentucky (Raegan's first football game), and having a rocking slumber party with Sarah and David!

Christmas time is so fun!! I love my family and spending time with everyone! Hope everyone has a great Christmas and don't forget to wish Jesus a Happy Birthday!! God Bless!

A Royal Engagement

     Well they are FINALLY getting hitched!! Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement today! Although I am a little sad Prince William is taken off the market (cause I was so going to get him), I am very thrilled for them! This wedding is going to be spectacular im sure.. the news said they are planning on next spring or summer.

     William (we are on a first name basis) proposed with Princess Diana's engagement ring, given to her by Prince Charles, the prince of Wales, in February 1981.The ring is a stunning 18 carat blue sapphire and diamond ring... it is absolutley shokingly beautiful!

     I would like to take this chance to recognized the emense beauty of Princess Diana and her wedding to Prince Charles. I have to admit something.. I became a smidgen obsessed with her life after her death.. I owned several hardback books and multiple magazines.

   Her glamorous life and tragic death just kind of consumed me. So while learning about her I also became smitten with the princes. Funny thing though, I couldnt have cared less about Prince Charles.

  Like I said, I cant wait to hear about their wedding plans.. I have heard it wont be as grand as Dianas, but it is sure to be beautiful! Hope you enjoyed and shared my excited about this momentous event!


I am in love with this whole process.. I will undoubtedly be watcihng every step of their wedding planning!

*please excuse me for my excessive amount of exclamation points.. I am very excited! 

       Have a blessed day!!